It is painful to find rumors that are spread, regardless of its origins, for the purpose of abuse and insult of other people or nations. It is totally against human nature, and it is condemned by judicious and intelligent people.
Unfortunately, we have seen lately organized campaigns, among scholars, that target Islam and Muslims. Muslims have been unjustly accused in their personalities and beliefs. It is odd that such intellectual mistakes occur among people who claim to have a great civilization and culture, and who call for dialogues among religions. Are we culturally allowed to abuse others without verifying the charge we might accuse an entire nation with? Is it a civilized act to generalize the negatives of any nation, if they are true, and publish them via organized campaigns? How then can a dialogue among religions be achieved if such campaigns worsen the situation? How do we justify these acts which only lead to racism and discrimination among religions’ adherents?
The masterminds of such conspiracies plan only to publish intellectual terrorism among people, and wise ones should not believe such intended rumors. Islam, like any other heavenly revelation, would not ask its believers to hate people due to the variation of religion and belief, nor compel others to embrace Islam. On the other hand, people do have the mind to distinguish between right wrong; as said in Qur’an: ” There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who reject the false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.” (256)( Surat Al-Baqra)
Islam like other divine religion never urges its believers to hate others just because of difference in religion and doctrine, and it has not forced anyone to embrace it, yet God (Allah) Almighty has provided humans with the reason by which they can distinguish between right and falsehood, and showed them the path to Paradise & Hell. In the Holy Qura’n, the saying of Almighty God is: “Verily, there is no enforcement to religion Righteousness and falsehood is quite clear [1]. Out of this rule, it is mandatory on man, if right is concealed for him/her, or if he/she finds himself/herself in spiritual vacuum, he/she should set out in search of what may fill such spiritual vacuum.
Islam, my dear sirs, is neither a fascist sect as it is said or narrow – minded as it is or illustrated, yet it is an integrated religion & legislation which copes up with civilization and its development. Ahead of all this, it exceptionally cares with man and maintains his/her full rights with no exception and it never differentiates between those who are black or white complexioned. All of them are brothers & sisters combined by tolerance and leniency. Our Prophet Mohammed, “May Gods prayers be upon him, relations and companions did not practice violence on any one whether he/she is a Muslim or others. You shall be stunned by wonder if I narrated his story with a Jew, namely: Zaid Bin Sa’atah when he came to the prophet “May God’s prayers and blessings be upon him claming for something, and he (the Jew) pulled out his garment off his right shoulder and said: “You are the sons of Abdul Muttalib are procrastinate and I know you will. Omar Bin Al Khattab (The Second righteous Caliph hereinafter” rebuffed him, yet the Messenger of God “May God’s prayers and peace be upon
Be upon him” said “O Omar, me and him are in need of something else other than this like ordering the to pay back his dues in a better way and advise him to follow a better way for claiming, go away Omar give him all his dues, and since what remains for him in three measures, increase him thirty measures because of your all treatment to him” [2].
Here, the Prophet, “May Allah’s prayers & peace be upon him) visits a Jew lad who was sick. Thabit S/o. Anas “May Allah forgive him narrated as signing” when a Jew lad who was serving the prophet “May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him” became sick, the prophet “May Allah’s prayers & peace be upon him” visited him and sat at his head side and told him “Embrace Islam”. The lad looked at his father while he was there and the father said, “Obey father of Al-Qassim (meaning the Prophet)”, and the lad embraced Islam. The prophet went out and was depicted as saying “Praise shall be to God, Who saved him from Hell” [3].
God Almighty is the source of all religions and legislations as He started with Adam “May Allah’s peace be upon him” then followed by prophets. Then He sent His Messenger Noah “May Allah’s peace be upon him”, and he is, as some scholars think is the first messenger on earth. The difference between the prophet and the messenger is that the prophet is the one who was revealed a legislation but not ordered to notify it, while the messenger is the one who was revealed a legislation but ordered to convey it [4], and so on till God terminated and finally ended His mission with the culminator of Prophets Mohammad “May Allah’s prayers & peace be upon him”. Since we are His servants, it is mandatory on us to obey His orders and do what we are ordered to with no objection from our part, because the creator is entitled to dispose with what He creates, and what He determines for His creatures is the right thing. Since we are servants of God, we have nothing to do except to surrender to His orders, “Exalted in His Highness”.
The Muslims doctrine is to believe in all the God’s prophets and in the books revealed to them as they were with no alteration or amendment Almighty God said in His great Book: “Verily, the messenger believed in what is revealed to him by his God, and all the believers in God, His angles, books and messengers. Verily we do not differentiate between anyone of His Messengers[5]. Since we acknowledge all prophets, religions and books as they were revealed, why is all this noise about Islam, its prophet and Muslims? Why do not our brothers acknowledge our prophet and Islam? I hope that this point shall come into the attention of the equitable scholars.
The constitution legislated by Allah for us in the Holy Qura’n in how to proceed with the believers of other religion is the just constitution as it orders us to deal with the peaceful ones who do not commit any harm in any way, However, with respect of those who tend to cause harm, it is logically that you should defend your right. Almighty Allah said, “Allah never urge you against those who did not fight with you in religion and did not snatch you out of your homes, and you should be kind to them and be just with them. Verily God loves those who are just. However, God urges you to be against those who fought you in religion, snatched you out of your doors and supported others to snatch you, never be their allies, and those who become their allies are those who are unjust[6].
In this brief essay I shall demonstrate some of the tolerance examples ordered by Islam, which are approved and implemented by the Messenger “May Allah’s peace & prayers be upon him”, and followed after him by Islam’s Sons of Caliphs, Kings and princes. When God sent Mohammad “May Allah’s prayers & peace by upon him” as a prophet in Makkah, his relatives and land turned-over him and described him as being the poet and magician, after they had called him the honest before his prophecy because of his honesty and his good dealing with his people. They used to leave their precious articles within his custody and consider him as a referee if they had any dispute or difference. However, as soon as God sent him as a prophet to them, they opted to be his enemies till they compelled him to leave his birth place, caused evil to him, threw stones at him, and made his feet bleed, yet he used to be sympathetic merciful to them, as he never plead to God to destroy them, but he pleased to God Almighty to let them get birth to children who should support this religion[7]. When Makkah surrendered to him and he conquest it, he did not revenge from those who had ill-treated him. Yet he addressed them saying: “What do you think I am going to do to you? They replied”, All Good, you are a noble brother and a noble nephew!” He, “May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him”, said “Go” you are released! No sin on you today, May God forgives me and you” [8]. If the Messenger of Allah were rude & hard-hearted as some orientalists accuse him with, the first thing after the conquest of Makkah would have been severe retaliation from those who ill-treated him. However, this was never the case. He threw roses on their paths, after they had thrown thorns on his own. This is just a simple example of his rich life full of tolerance & forgiveness even on his grimed foes.
The companions of the Messenger of God “May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him” were meticulously adherent to his traditions. They showed wonderful external examples of Islam’s tolerance, leniency and kindness. Mujahid “May Allah mercy him” said: “We were attending a meeting in the house of Abdullah S/o. of Amr & S/o. Al Ass and his servant was flaying a sheep, he said to him: “Oh boy! Start by our Jew neighbour on distributing the meat!” He said it thrice till one of the attendees said, “How much you mention the Jew”, “May Allah forgive you”, He replied, “I heard the Messenger of God”, “May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him” recommending the neighbour so much so that he might impose inheritance for him [9].
This is just a few out of plenty. However, Islam’s history is abundant with such humanitarian situations indicating Islam’s leniency with its people & others with no distinction. Therefore, I do urge you to read the books tackling Islam’s care with humans in an equitable fashion.
I close this article with some quotations made by non-Muslim thinkers and scholars. Some of them criticized the Messenger “May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him” and Islam. There are those who defended him and showed the fact which were concealed on those who fanatically looked at the prophet “May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon him” and Islam, yet those who looked at both of them with an eye of true conscience has been fully equitable.
Deno Nibort in his book “Apology to Muhammad & Islam said”, It is foolish that we think that Islam was established by the sword blade. This religion forbids blood shed, it orders goodness & denies reprehension, ordered democracy, denied autocracy, and awarded humans their civil rights. It is worthy noting that Europe is indebted to Muslims themselves with its civilization”.
The knowledgeable orientalist Senerston Al Asouji (born in 1866), the professor of Semitic languages, the editor of the “Oriental World Magazine”, and the author of many books, inter alia “The history of Mohammad’s life, “We have not been equitable to Mohammad is we deny his great quantities and good characteristics. Mohammad fought the proper life battle in the face of ignorance & barbarism insisting on his own principles and continued in fighting the tyrants till he ended with bright victory and his Shari’a (Law) has become the most complete law and he is above all great people in history”.
Dr. Shebrek “The Austrian Scholar said, “Humanity is proud of having a man like Mohammad, and although he was illiterate, he managed, before few tens of Centuries, to bring about a law that we, the Europeans will be happiest if we reach its summit.
The German Orientalist Anna Mary Shiwel said, “Never blame me for my love to the Messenger of Islam My love & infatuation with Islam & its Messenger is unlimited so that some say that I conceal my Islam, and I repeat the words of a Hindu Poet: “I may be an infidel or a believer, this is something known solely by God, but I would like to devote myself as a sincere lover of the great master of civilization, Mohammad the Messenger of God”. Therefore, why you blame me for my love and defense on the Messenger of Islam whom I love, while nobody throughout history has been exposed to the injustice & falsification like Mohammad. The Middle Ages myths accused him as being a Cardinal who was distasteful for not being appointed a pope, detached himself from the church and established a new religion. A French novel accused him for participating with two other persons in constituting a type of a devilish trinity. There is an unforgivable crime perpetrated by the English writers who transformed the name of Mohammad to be a symposium to Satan. The German literature transformed Mohammad into “Mahum” and accused Muslims as worshiping golden idols of Mahum. Regrettably, such horrible image is well-established in the western collective unconsciousness. This explains the Western enmity to Islam. Isn’t such injustice a constitutes a motive for me to clarify by reality of Islam’s Messenger, even if I pay my life for it, as it is said, “The silent in showing what is right is a dumb Satan”[10].